


Lost to the Old Kingdom

by Merit



Category: Old Kingdom - Garth Nix
Genre: Gen, Meeting the Parents, Original Character(s), POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-31
Updated: 2014-01-31
Packaged: 2018-01-09 23:29:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1152106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merit/pseuds/Merit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nicholas returned from the Old Kingdom with a fiancee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost to the Old Kingdom

Lirael was dressed in the latest fashions, could be any other Ancelstierrian young lady frolicking in Corvere, but there is something odd about her. It wasn’t just her golden hand, which clicked and whirred in a semblance of normal movement, though her son Nicholas had told her that beyond the Wall it moved like living flesh. No, it is her gaze. It was too still and watching for someone so young.

She doesn’t have a last name; she had frowned when Meredith had asked. Then quietly said she was a Daughter of the Clayr, a Remembrancer and Abhorsen-in-Waiting.

Meredith had met her sister of course. Meredith was always invited to the finest of gatherings. The Queen and Lirael had a superficial resemblance, very pale skin and dark hair, but other that the cut of their faces was very different. Abhorsen was some sort of heredity religious role and she could have sworn that Prince Sameth had been destined for that role.

Remembrancer meant nothing to her. And the Daughter of the Clayr? Nicholas had told her, on one of his brief visits home, that the Clayr were a cloister of women on a glacier. 

All very mysterious. And yet her son hung by her every word, looking at her like she had set the stars alight. It was not what Meredith had expected. Sayre men had the reputation of sowing their seeds in their youth. Discreetly of course, there was the future to think about, and Nicholas had seemed like a typical Sayre man. He reminded her of her brother-in-law and husband in their youth before they had set their minds on politics.

But then, his journey to the Wall to visit Prince Sameth had changed everything. Meredith had always approved of his friendship with Prince Sameth, the boy might be a prince in a barbarian wasteland but he was still royalty. It was good of Nicholas to cultivate friendships that could be so useful in the future. She had fretted, of course, over her son leaving but boys needed to explore the world, so her husband said. She wished she had protested further.

Nicholas had returned ill and weary after that horrid upstart Corolini had been put down. Doctors had been puzzled but had prescribed rest and relaxation which Meredith had fiercely enforced. But Nicholas had slipped away again. His Uncle Edward saying his presence was necessary. She had heard about a disturbance at the Wall. A few days later a hastily scribed letter arrived. Nicholas was venturing into the Old Kingdom again. He had assured her that he had a proper escort now, headed by Lirael, sister to the Queen.

It had sounded more satisfactory that the Old Kingdom was treating her son with due respect after the horror illness had caught there. But it wouldn’t be the first time she received word of Lirael.

Letters were rare, arriving on pretty parchment and penned chicken scratch style in ink. But every single one mentioned Lirael. Oh the letters were always short, always something left unsaid. But Lirael helped a village during a drought, Lirael showed him the sights during a visit to palace, Lirael went to a festival with him in winter.

It was on a brief visit home, oh I can’t stay, Nicholas had declared, there is much to do with summer coming. Though he never much said about what he was doing. She suggested a position in the Interior Ministry. They would surely appreciate his travels and contacts in the Old Kingdom especially as the Old Kingdom had imposed a strict quota on Southerlings entering their land. It all seemed very old to Meredith. There seemed so much open space. Nicholas had gone quiet, eyes so serious and shook his head. It was unsafe. Whatever that meant!

But this time Nicholas had visited with Lirael. She was his fiancée he had proudly said. Lirael had nodded her head, smiling a little. But it was all so strange. She wasn’t giddy and she didn’t gush when Meredith presented her with some fabric samples.

Meredith had expected her son to marry someone who was a bit more regular. She would be of their class, of course, someone who smiled well and said the right things. Not a barbarian from beyond the Wall.

-

“Your mother is watching me again,” Lirael said quietly.

“I wouldn’t worry,” Nicholas said, smiling. “She probably just is dreaming up new ribbons for you to try.”

“More?” Lirael said, arching a brow.

“I know the possibility of more ribbons seems impossible but Mother knows every seamstress, milliner and cobbler of note in all of Ancelstierre. There’s more,” Nicholas said.

“I suppose she would be very horrified to find out the whole ceremony is pointless,” Lirael said.

“Hush! If Mother finds out that we married behind the Wall, she would either murder me or faint from exasperation,” Nicholas said. “Though I don’t know if she would count a Charter ceremony to be legal or correct,” Nicholas said, now frowning. 

Lirael shrugged. “Oh it seemed correct enough for me.”

“Mogget seemed amused enough,” Nicholas said. “The things he said! I didn’t expect a cat to know, well, that.”

“You know he’s not cat,” Lirael said.

“It was really quite personal,” Nicholas said, a faint blush dusting his pale cheeks. Lirael smiled, reaching out with her golden hand to pat his shoulder. More intimate displays of affection were off limits until Meredith had them properly wed under Ancelstierre’s traditions.

“Personal?” Meredith said, looking at the golden hand intently.

“Oh just some romantic letters I wrote during our courting,” Nicholas said smoothly.

“How I wish I had received more,” his mother said. Nicholas coughed, tugging at his collar.

“Erm. Yes. Well. I say! It certainly takes time getting used to these collars again. Did they always use so much starch?”

“Always,” Meredith said, reaching out and straightening his collar. “Oh don’t tell me you’ve been wearing Old Kingdom attire?” She said, on an almost despairing note.

“It helps not to stick out sometimes,” Nick said, “Plus all my clothes were basically rags. That sort of modern stuff doesn’t last long in the Old Kingdom.”

Meredith hummed her disapproval. “At least you’ll be in the palace. I’m sure you’ll have some suitable company there.”

“The palace? Why?”

“Well,” Meredith said, looking between Lirael and Nick. “Why wouldn’t you?”

“My duties at Abhorsen-in-Waiting require me to be all over the Kingdom,” Lirael said.

“And I’d much prefer to travel to Lirael, much more fun,” Nick said. “I can be more help there than the palace or a stuffy old office.”

“Your father works very hard,” Meredith said.

“Oh Mother,” Nick said, suddenly embracing her. “I know.”

-

He could have said a number of excuses. Anything really. But he didn’t say a word about what he did behind the Wall.

Meredith watched her son, knowing he was going to leave again and not knowing how changed he would be again the next time she saw him.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for trope_bingo's meet the parents space.


End file.
